Blu-ray laptops expected to increase in 2010

Notebooks shipping with Blu-ray players will take off during the second half of 2010, but will continue to struggle until then, according to new reports.

The lack of adoption is due to the relatively high cost of slim-type Blu-ray players — in the $100 price range — while slim-type DVD burners are available for less than $20 now.

The $100 price estimate is expected to drop significantly as the industry gets closer to the second half of 2010, with the cost savings expected to transfer to consumers.

Blu-ray will move from a “niche” technology and finally go “mainstream” next year due to the falling prices and a recovering economy, the NPD research group said in its annual report. Until the industry transforms, the high-end sector will continue to provide built-in Blu-ray players — and depending how much of a price drop takes place, it’s possible Blu-ray notebooks will continue to stay in the high-end.

Last year, “cutting-edge” consumers — who account for 20 percent of U.S. consumers — represented 64 percent of Blu-ray owners. The number of “cutting-edge” Blu-ray owners has dropped, to just 38 percent now, which shows more mainstream adoption of the format.

I believe the price drop has to be significant, or consumers will continue to sit on the fence waiting for a real price drop. Even though regular consumers are finally becoming interested in Blu-ray, it still could be some time before they want it in their notebooks if the price remains too high.

The article keeps mentioning "blu-ray players", What would be the advantage of a blu-ray player over a DVD player? The only disks you could play would be pre-recorded blu-ray movies that you buy. Who wants to pay extra for those so you can watch them on a laptop? That 1080p video is really impressive on a 13-inch screen. Maybe if they started making blu-ray burners cheaper so you could have more storage space available on a disk that you burned, then people might buy them. However, if they didn't also make blank blu-ray disks cheaper, that wouldn't be much of a reason to buy one with a burner instead of a player, either.
I don't understand why anyone would want a laptop with just a blu-ray player. I also doubt that blu-ray burners or blank blu-ray disks will be that affordable in 2010.

Blu-Ray combo drives are just as useful as DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drives. Before long computer software will probably be distributed on BD-ROM - as soon as the drives are common enough (it took a little while for DVD-ROM drives to become common also). They will also let computers read burned Blu-Ray data discs.

Optimal? Of course not, but DVD/CD-RW combo drives were very common for awhile, until DVD burners became affordable.

Blu-Ray burners will become affordable... it'll just take a year or two. In the meantime, combo drives will be a good compromise.

but DVD/CD-RW combo drives were very common for awhile, until DVD burners became affordable.

They were common because one could watch dvd movies on his laptop. Blu-ray players offer nothing innovative on a laptop, since watching HD on 13 or even 15 inch monitors makes no sense. The only thing they offer is accessibility to BD media, where you might have stored lots of data that you want to transfer to your laptop - and not the other way around. And thats pretty much it - nothing more.

For those confused by the concept, like hemispasm and ferd, Blu-ray laptops with HDMI ports make excelent players for home theater systems as well as allowing one to play Blu-ray discs on the road that you have purchased for home theater play. The discs look dazzling on my widescreen 17" display.

Having a portable (3.5kg ) bluray player is of course one of the uses for such a drive in a laptop. But in my case, as for many others, laptops are where you do your work. I have my home cinema already, and I have my personal PC for other staff not work related, I have my netbook for the essentials when traveling.. I really can't imagine being in a situation where i would use my laptop for playing a movie and have a TV around for connecting it to the laptop etc.

Yeah, it's really convenient to fish around and find your HDMI cable so you can play your Blu-ray movie from your lap top. Most laptops do not have 1080P displays. If they do, they are 17 or 18 inch displays and the laptop weighs about 9 or 10 pounds (not counting bag and accessories). Real handy for lugging around. If they don't have a 1080P display they probably don't have 1080P video cards, so what would be the benefit? If the blu-ray disks look "dazzling" on your 17 inch display, you must be easily dazzled.

If they don't have a 1080P display they probably don't have 1080P video cards,

Normally, video cards, including chipset integrated VGA support much higher resolutions than the installed display offers.
And nowadays, even chipset integrated video has built-in video acceleration that is good enough for HD video.

What ferd is trying to say, and I fully agree, is that watching HD in a 15inch monitor makes no sense, even if the resolution is supported which in most cases is not (by the monitor resolution). Some 17-18 inch monitor laptops might support the resolutions (personally I feel that even then there's no point in watching HD - at least not in less than 22inch monitors), but then there's no value in the "portable bluray player" that Steven mentioned, unless you consider portable a laptop of 6 kilos

Quote:

And nowadays, even chipset integrated video has built-in video acceleration that is good enough for HD video.

YEs, Intel's 4500HD just came out, but if the monitor resolution does not support HD, then there's no difference is there?

Blu-ray titles played on a 15" 1280x720 (720p) look ok but it's not ideal. In fact, the whole Blu-ray circus is a scam to get people to buy more crap they don't really need. The picture quality improvement over DVD is not significant at all - even on a 40" or higher LCD TV. Upscaled DVD is the way to go as it's more cost-effective and gives good viewing results on a decent penel.

Blu-ray laptop is not for average Joe anyway. Probably for people who does HD video editing on the go. Also for consumer who now only buys Blu-ray movies and not DVD anymore so they can watch the blu-rays anywhere and copy the Digital Copy and download into their mobile devices.

Just like DVD, it is optimized for your SDTV and still look good on HDTV sets but many people watch on their 7" portable player or convert to ipod etc. Blu-ray will be like that some days, it's just another media.

What ferd is trying to say, and I fully agree, is that watching HD in a 15inch monitor makes no sense, even if the resolution is supported which in most cases is not (by the monitor resolution). Some 17-18 inch monitor laptops might support the resolutions (personally I feel that even then there's no point in watching HD - at least not in less than 22inch monitors), but then there's no value in the "portable bluray player" that Steven mentioned, unless you consider portable a laptop of 6 kilos
YEs, Intel's 4500HD just came out, but if the monitor resolution does not support HD, then there's no difference is there?

This response, along with others posted by ferd and hemispasm, are good examples of the lack of critical thinking frequently exhibited in this forum. First of all, because something makes no sense to you means just that. Your views are far from universal. Second many laptops have larger screens with good portability. I recently had mine on a journey from San Francisco to Rome for five weeks and experienced no back pain carrying my 17 inch 1440x900 display. Those of you who think in kilos might have difficulty however. Finally, we should all welcome all options possible and let the market decide what "makes no sense". In all fairness I should also admit that I was a big fan of the Betamax VCR, the LaserDisc platform and of course HD DVD...

Yeah, it's really convenient to fish around and find your HDMI cable so you can play your Blu-ray movie from your lap top. Most laptops do not have 1080P displays. If they do, they are 17 or 18 inch displays and the laptop weighs about 9 or 10 pounds (not counting bag and accessories). Real handy for lugging around. If they don't have a 1080P display they probably don't have 1080P video cards, so what would be the benefit? If the blu-ray disks look "dazzling" on your 17 inch display, you must be easily dazzled.

I have an HDMI cable and an extra AC adapter in my home theater system. Two connections and I'm good to go. I use this as my HTPC and watch content @ 1920x1080P.

This response, along with others posted by ferd and hemispasm, are good examples of the lack of critical thinking frequently exhibited in this forum. First of all, because something makes no sense to you means just that. Your views are far from universal. Second many laptops have larger screens with good portability. I recently had mine on a journey from San Francisco to Rome for five weeks and experienced no back pain carrying my 17 inch 1440x900 display. Those of you who think in kilos might have difficulty however. Finally, we should all welcome all options possible and let the market decide what "makes no sense". In all fairness I should also admit that I was a big fan of the Betamax VCR, the LaserDisc platform and of course HD DVD...

Now you are trying for some reason to make this personal

As i pointed out several times in my posts, this is my personal opinion which is of course far from a universal truth, as far as yours is. And this is a forum were people post their personal opinions, now if a lack of critical thinking is what you usually find here, you are welcome to open up our minds with yours, as long as it is an opinion and not your universal truth. Have a nice day.

Edit: I am travelling abroad at least 10 to 15 times per year, for short 3-4 days at a time, carrying around a 17inch laptop each time aint my cup of tee, but if it is fine for you, then whatever floats your boat But your universal truth about 17inch laptops being easily portable is far from mine, from where I am standing.

@steven2874
Being part of the market, such as I am, I have decided that this makes no sense. Whether or not the rest of the market agrees with me remains to be seen. I will try to modify my personal opinions in the future so that they conform to what you and/or everyone else thinks is "universal". Is it OK if I check with you first, before I post, to make sure that my opinions represent critical-enough thinking and are universal enough?

Again, either you two can't read or think, or more likely both. I never claimed "Universal Truth" and this certainly isn't "personal". I'm sure that both ferd and Hemispasm are fine people- they just suffer from from muddy thinking and faulty reasoning. How Hemispasm could conclude from my posts that i think HE shoud carry a 17 inch laptop is beyond me. I said I had no problem doing so. This all goes back to my original point that you cannot think clearly or reason properly and when someone points this out you are offended and conclude I am "trying to make this personal".

@steven2874
Being part of the market, such as I am, I have decided that this makes no sense. Whether or not the rest of the market agrees with me remains to be seen. I will try to modify my personal opinions in the future so that they conform to what you and/or everyone else thinks is "universal". Is it OK if I check with you first, before I post, to make sure that my opinions represent critical-enough thinking and are universal enough?

Please. You are certainly entitled to your opinions, however misguided they might be. You began this conversation by stating "I don't understand whay anyone would want a laptop with just a Blu-ray player". Who you are quoting here I can't begin to fathom so let's assume the question is rhetorical. I gave you a couple of good reasons why I like my laptop with Blu-ray capabilities. You responded that it was inconvenient and that I am easily "dazzled". And now you play the martyr when your logic is refuted. Amazing.

Steven2874, you feel you have made a good and justified move by buying a 17inch ultraportable laptop that has a bluray on it, and that is understandable. Just don't feel offended that some people dont agree with the merits of your choice, and more importantly dont feel obliged to change their minds and prove their logic is refuted... It's pointless, because in trying to do so you are going on a frenzie accusing people of not having critical thinking among other things, which only weakens your otherwise already weak arguments.